Preserving Your Greek Christening Memories

Written by Greek Boston in Greek Christening Traditions Comments Off on Preserving Your Greek Christening Memories

As a Greek Orthodox Christian, chances are pretty good that you don’t remember your Christening unless you got baptized later in life. If it weren’t for the photographs or maybe even the video of the ceremony, you wouldn’t have any way of seeing yourself participating in the sacrament of Baptism and maybe even Chrismation.

Now that it is time for your child’s Christening, it helps to remember that some day, he may express an interest in his Christening. By making a few preparations in advance you will have something to show him.

Record the Ceremony

The first thing you can do is make sure the Christening is filmed. You can hire a professional to take care of this or you can enlist a friend or relative to film it. Make sure that the recording has a high enough sound quality so that it is perfectly audible when people speak.

Taking Photographs

You will also want to have pictures taken of the Christening. Again, you can either hire a photographer or have a family friend or relative take care of it. If you enlist someone for help, make sure they understand the ceremony well enough to be sure to get a photograph of the most important parts.

Put Together a Scrapbook

Scrapbooking is an art that extends beyond simply placing photographs in a book. Great scrapbooking captures the moment and includes other items. For example, you can press and dry some of the flowers that decorated the church, include poetry and Bible verses throughout the pages, and even leave space for the child’s first three Holy Communions.

Have People Write Letters

Another nice idea is to have people write letters so that he can read them when he gets older. Not only is this a nice idea for you to do, but also the grandparents and godparents. Consider sticking with a “Christian” theme and ask the letter writers to share with the child their thoughts on what it takes to be an Orthodox Christian.

Picture Frame Signing

Instead of having guests sign a book, why not have them sign a picture frame? Then, you can find a photograph of the ceremony that will fit into the frame. When he sees the photograph and reads the names, he will have a visual of all the people who were there that day.

Save Important Items

At some point in his life, he may want to see the outfit he wore on his Christening. So, save all items that pertain to the Christening so he can look at them when he gets older. Possible items include the outfit he wore, his cross, the candles, and even a copy of the program that you gave to the guests.

Since the Christening usually happens in the child’s infancy, he will be too young to remember it. By taking pictures, filming the ceremony, saving key items, and creating a collection of mementos you will have the opportunity to share these with him, as he gets older.

Categorized in: Greek Christening Traditions

This post was written by Greek Boston